Kevin Hunt: Why Do Stop & Shop Gas Rewards Expire?

April 01, 2013|Kevin Hunt - The Bottom Line, The Bottom Line

Gas rewards points, savings bonds and the common meaning of "scheme" in different parts of the world have found their way into today's edition of "Is It Just Me?", where no question is too small for The Bottom Line.

Remember, it's not just you. Other people want to know, too. Send appropriately benign questions to The Bottom Line at khunt@courant.com.

Q: "I have a concern about how Stop & Shop manages their gas rewards program. Consumers can accumulate points by shopping at Stop and Shop. Once a consumer has earned 100 points (spending $100 in groceries) they can receive 10 cents off per gallon of gas at participating gas stations. The amount will increase depending on how much is spent.

"The concern I have with this program is there is an expiration date on the gas rewards points. Consumers may have finally spent $100 and reached the 10 cents off per gallon but when they go to fill their tank and redeem their points that is when they learn the points are no longer available.

"I think Stop & Shop has found a very creative way to get families into their stores to purchase groceries and have given them the additional benefit of the gas rewards points. Having said this, Stop & Shop has also forgotten that it is not just families that shop at their stores. They have missed the boat for the rest of the population.

"The big question is: Why should these points expire in the first place?"

Diane Rhault, Mansfield

A: Rewards points of any kind, whether issued by an airline or a grocery store, usually expire. These programs are promotional tools used to get customers to fly more or buy more.

"The program was always designed for points to expire 30 days from the date of issuance," says Stop & Shop spokeswoman Suzi Robinson. "While other gas programs out there vary in how they're structured, you will likely find that all have expirations points as well. Our gas rewards program is one of the best around."

The points, awarded only on purchases made with a Stop & Shop card (that includes shopping online at Peapod), can be used for up to 35 gallons per vehicle for any single fill-up at Stop & Shop and participating Shell gas stations.

You'll find point totals at the bottom of each store receipt, at your online account or by using the Stop & Shop mobile app.

But you're right, Diane, that such programs make it more difficult for some people to get frequent discounts at the pump. Thirty days, though, should be enough to spend $100 on groceries and use the rewards for a gas discount.

For those who don't spend enough on groceries to make these type of programs work, there are also credit cards that offer discount points on groceries and gas. CardHub.com recommends the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Platinum Rewards Card that pays 5 percent cash back at any gas station. There is a one-time $15 charge to join the credit union. Depending on how often you shop, the discounts at the pump might be greater on the credit card.

Some people get both the gas-rewards points and the credit-card benefits. If Stop & Shop's gas rewards program doesn't work for you, find other ways to save. Unless you'd rather start eating more.

Q: "How many savings bonds can be cashed in at one time?"

SJK, Farmington

A: OK, SJK, we're going straight to a bank on this one.

"At Webster," says Sarah Barr, the bank's vice president of external communications, "if someone is not a customer, there's a limit of $1,000 per day. If the person is a customer, there's no limit."

It's not just Webster's rules. Every bank follows the rules spelled out by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which issues the savings bonds. (These savings certificates, traditionally among the safest and lowest-yielding investments, help pay for the federal government's borrowing.)

To cash more than $1,000 in bonds in a day, a customer must have an account open for at least six months. A driver's license or other state identification card with a photograph or physical description usually is enough for ID. A birth certificate, marriage certificate and Social Security card will not be accepted.

For more information, visit http://www.treasurydirect.gov.

A Lost InTranslation Scam

A scheme in the United Kingdom is a plan. Here, it's usually interpreted as something more sinister.

Scammers and spammers often don't know that. The Bottom Line recently received email notification, addressed to "Dear Lucky One," of a "donation" totaling 1 million British pounds ($1.52 million) in the ongoing Adrian and Gillian Bayford "charity scheme."

The Bayfords are an actual British couple who won 148 million pounds last summer in the EuroMillions lottery and declared they'd share part of it. Scammers immediately tried to cash in by sending bogus "donation" emails hoping to lure the recipient's bank information.

But this, dear scammers, is the wrong part of the world to tempt consumers with an ongoing scheme.